No.  600 


fAM. 
N.  AMEA. 


i 


THE  FIRST  AMERICANS 

A 5KLTCH  OF  OUR  CHURCH  WORK 
AMONG  THL  INDIANS 


\ r “X-  oi.  r c '■ 


DEPARTMENT  OF  MISSIONS 
AND  CHURCH  EXTENSION 
OF  THE  EPISCOPAL  CHURCH 

281  FOURTH  AVENUE  • NEW  YORK 


■ 


INDIAN  reservations 

Missionary  Stations  Marked  + 


THE  CHURCH  AMONG  THE 
INDIANS 

THE  INDIAN  PROBLEM 

The  Indian  problem  is  not  solved,  but  only 
in  the  process  of  being  solved.  The 
government  has  adopted  a policy  whereby 
the  reservation  system,  which  has  so  long 
laid  a repressive  hand  upon  the  Indian,  is  to  be 
abolished.  This  system  was  probably  necessary  in 
the  past,  but  few  peoples  could  have  endured  such 
isolation  and  restraint  and  continue  to  exist.  The 
fact  that  the  Indian  has  fairly  well  survived  the 
reservation  system,  is  proof  of  the  virile  character 
which  he  possesses.  The  time  has  come  when,  if  the 
Indian  is  to  survive,  if  he  is  to  retain  a foothold  on 
the  face  of  the  earth  at  all,  and  keep  his  self-respect, 
he  mu.st  take  his  chance  with  the  other  citizens  of  the 
republic.  He  is  like  a boy  who  is  going  out  into  life. 
He  has  been  under  tutelage — an  unwilling  ward  of 
an  unwilling  government — for  many  years,  and  now 
we  say  that  it  is  time  for  him  to  go  out  and  take  care 
of  himself.  The  Indians  will  become  citizens,  and 
sooner  or  later  be  amalgamated  with  the  general 
])opulation.  Then  only  will  the  Indian  problem  be 
solved. 

Meanwhile,  the  present  problem  is  to  make  the 
Indian  ready  for  Christian  citizenship.  This  the 
government  cannot  do  by  itself.  None  too  successful 
in  its  efforts  to  give  secular  training  to  the  Indian, 
it  is  markedly  inefficient  in  his  moral  and  spiritual 
development.  Nor  could  it  be  otherwise,  for  the 
Indian  is  naturally  religious,  and  the  government  is 
no  teacher  of  religion.  The  Christian  Church  is  the 
only  agency  which  can  save  the  situation  and  re- 
deem a people  of  sterling  characteristics  whose  claim 
upon  our  sympathy  and  aid  is  a very  real  one.  For 
surely  we  should  give  to  the  Indian,  quite  as  much 
•as  to  the  Chinaman,  the  best  which  is  to  be  had  in 
our  civilization.  Living,  as  he  must  do,  in  the  midst 


3 


of  our  highly-developed  and  keenly-acquisitive  civili- 
zation, he  needs,  even  more  than  does  the  man  in  a 
foreign  land,  the  safeguards  and  helps  of  the  Christian 
religion. 

In  aiding  the  Indian  now  we  pay,  so  far  as  we  can, 
an  old  debt.  The  wealth  of  our  nation  is  builded 
upon  the  Indian  possessions.  Without  discussing 
the  vexed  question  of  government  treatment  of  the 
Indian  race,  this  cannot  reasonably  be  denied.  The 
least  we  can  do,  surely,  is  to  give  him  the  chance  to 
make  a man  of  himself  in  the  struggle  which  lies 
before  him. 

Nor  is  this  a matter  of  tardy  justice  only — it  is  a 
patriotic  opportunity.  No  aboriginal  race  has  shown 
finer  native  qualities  than  the  Indian.  If  he  can  be 
preserved  from  degradation,  and  stimulated  in  his 
development,  he  will  contribute  useful  and  important 
elements  to  the  future  citizenship  of  our  land.  At 
the  same  time  that  we  are  encouraging  the  immi- 
gration of  foreigners  and  their  assimilation  into  our 
life,  we  should  not  neglect  a like  process  in  the  case 
of  the  original  Americans,  who  have  far  more  prom- 
ising qualities  than  many  of  the  foreigners  who  seek 
our  shores. 


A PART  OF  THF.  MISSION  BUILDINGS  AT  ONEIDA.  WISCONSIN 
Our  oldest  Indian  work.  The  fine  stone  church  was  built  by  the  Indians  themselres 


WHAT  HAS  THE  CHURCH  DONE? 


The  story  of  the  Church’s  work  among  the  Indians 
began  early  in  our  history.  Among  the  chief  purposes 
avowed  by  the  Virginia  Company  in  making  settle- 
ments in  this  new  land,  was  that  of  converting  to  the 
Christian  faith  the  inhabitants  thereof.  This  was 
honestly  and  sincerely  undertaken  by  some  of  our 
earlier  clergj' — as  witness  the  baptism  of  Pocahontas 
and  others.  The  difficulties  and  disagreements  which 
early  developed  between  the  Colonies  and  the 
Indians  disastrously  affected  this  missionary  enter- 
j)rise  and  changed  the  point  of  view  of  the  colonizing 
comj)anies.  Nevertheless,  by  individual  initiative, 
many  Indians  were  baptized  and  early  in  its  history 
the  venerable  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  began  an  organized  work  among  the  natives 
of  this  country. 

The  most  con- 
si)icuous  examples 
were  found  among 
the  Iroquois,  and 
our  present  mis- 
sions in  New  York 
State  and  among 
the  Oneidas  of  Wis- 
consin are  indirect 
fruits  of  these  early 
undertakings. 

The  rapidity  with 
which  the  middle 
and  the  far  west 
were  settled,  and 
the  immense  de- 
mands upon  the 
missionary  re- 
sources of  the 
Church  which  were  i.xdian  women  are  good  mothers 


5 


\ 


OUR  MISSIONARY  AT  WHIRLWIND.  OKLAHOMA 
PAYING  A PARISH  CALL 


inevitably  made  by  this  enormous  expansion,  natu- 
rally concentrated  attention  upon  the  work  among 
white  people.  Nevertheless,  wherever  the  Church 
went,  and  found  the  Indians  at  her  doors,  some  effort 
was  made  to  reach  them  with  the  message  of  faith. 
Conspicuously  was  this  true  in  Minnesota,  where  the 
Rev.  Dr.  James  Lloyd  Breck,  two  years  after  the 
first  organized  Church  work  in  the  territory  was 
begun,  opened  at  Gull  Lake  the  first  Church  mission 
for  Indians  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Seven 
years  later,  on  his  consecration  as  first  Bishop  of 
INIinnesota,  Henry  Benjamin  Whipple  threw  him- 
self into  the  cause  of  the  Indians,  and  throughout  his 
long  life  was  their  friend  and  champion.  Following 
the  Sioux  Massacre  in  1863,  many  of  the  Minnesota 
Indians  were  deported  to  South  Dakota,  and  there 
Bishop  Hare,  consecrated  as  Bishop  of  Niobrara, 
found  them  when  he  went  out  to  undertake  what 
has  proved  to  be  the  greatest  missionary  work  ever 
accomplished  among  the  aborigines  of  this  country. 
Not  only  have  the  Sioux  Indians  been  brought  into 
the  Church  in  large  numbers,  but  methods  of  wmrk 
have  been  established  which  have  largely  influenced 
our  Indian  w'ork  throughout  the  country. 


6 


THE  PRESENT  WORK 

ONEIDA  Aside  from  the  missions  conducted  in 

behalf  of  those  remnants  of  tribes  which 

have  remained  in  the  eastern  states  near  their  original 
hunting  grounds,  our  oldest  Indian  work  is  on  the 
Oneida  Reservation  near  Green  Bay,  in  northern 
Wisconsin.  Hither  in  18'23  six  or  seven  hundred  of 
the  Oneida  tribe  were  removed,  under  the  leadership 
of  the  Rev.  Eleazar  Williams,  himself  probably  an 
Iroquois,  though  the  claim  was  made  that  he  was 
Louis  XVII,  the  lost  Dauj)hin  of  France.  Here,  on  a 
reservation  nine  miles  by  twelve,  these  sturdy  Indians 
took  up  their  home,  blessed  and  protected  by  the 
constant  care  of  the  Church.  Devoted  missionaries 
have  given  long  lives  in  their  behalf.  Always,  both 
in  educational  and  spiritual  matters  the  Church  has 
been  their  mother.  Bishop  Hobart  himself  visited 
them  and  preached  in  their  original  log  church. 
Hither  the  young  deacons  who  founded  Nashotah 
came  to  receive  priest's  orders  at  the  hands  of  Bishop 
Kemper,  this  being  at  the  time  the  only  consecrated 
church  building  in  the  northwest.  This  building 
has  had  three  successors.  Now  a stately  stone  church 
with  a commodious  parish  hou.se,  lil)rary  and  reading 
room,  hospital  and  mis- 
sion building,  ministers 
to  a community  of  about 
two  thoiKsand  Indians, 
six  hundred  of  whom  are 
communicants  of  the 
Church. 

SOUTH  IftheOnei- 
DAKOTA  da  mission 

be  cited  as 

an  example  of  intensive 
achievement,  South 
Dakota  is  certainly  our 
greatest  extensive  work. 

Here  it  was  that  for 
37  years  the  Rt.  Rev. 


7 


1 


HENRY  BENJAMIN  WHIPPLE 
First  Bishop  of  Minnesota  and  Life-long  Friend  of  the  Indian 


S 


Wiliam  Hobart  Hare,  D.D.,  labored  ceaselessly  to  up- 
lift his  red  brothers.  When  chosen,  in  1873,  he  was 
the  young  secretary  of  the  Foreign  Committee  of  the 
Board  of  Missions.  He  was  a man  of  fine  culture,  and 
scholarly  tastes,  the  product  of  a highly  organized 
civilization,  and  many  of  his  friends  mourned  when  he 
was  sent  to  the  wild  men  of  the  plains.  His  juris- 
diction included  80,000  sfjuare  miles,  in  which  were 
nine  stations  and  two  sub-stations.  Immediately  he 
formed  a consistent  policy  for  developing  the  mission 
work,  and  aimed  definitely  at  two  things;  (a)  The 
education  of  the  children;  ih)  the  raising  up  of  a native 
ministry.  In  both  he  was  unusually  successful.  At 
the  time  of  his  death,  among  the  !^5,000  Indians  resi- 
dent in  South  Dakota,  there  were  10,000  baptized 
Churchmen,  nearly  100  Indian  congregations,  1(5 
native  clergy,  and  over  4,000  communicants.  He 
had  established  and  maintained  (5  schools  for  Indian 
children  and  had  himself  confirmed  7,000  Indians. 

Under  Bishop  John.son,  who  was  later  translated 
to  Missouri,  and  Bishop  Biller,  who  died  after  three 
years  of  .service,  the  work  in  South  Dakota  was  faith- 
fully carried  forward.  Now  Bishop  Burleson  and 
Bishop-suffragan  Remington  have  taken  it  up.  No- 
where, perhaps,  in  the  civilized  world  is  the  percentage 
of  communicants  .so  high  in  proportion  to  the  popula- 
tion as  on  the  reservations  of  South  Dakota.  To 
hold  and  to  deepen  this  Churchman.ship  when  the 
reservation  passes,  and  relate  the  Indian  religiously 
to  the  white  population,  is  the  delicate  and  difficult 
problem  of  today. 

The  sincere  devotion  and  simple  faith  of  these  Da- 
kota Indians,  and  their  generous  gifts  to  the  work  of 
the  Church,  set  a standard  equalled  by  few  among 
white  Christians. 


PL.AYTIME  AT  OXE  OF  BISHOP  HARE’S  SCHOOLS 


CHRIST  CHURCH,  ANVIK,  ALASKA 


ALASKA  A third  missionarj^  enterprise  among  In- 
dians  may  well  find  special  mention — the 
work  being  done  among  the  natives  of  Alaska.  Scat- 
tered over  that  land,  especially  throughout  the  great 
Yukon  basin,  live  30,000  Indians.  The  American 
Church  found  her  access  to  them  partially  prepared 
by  the  previous  splendid  work  of  the  Church  of 
England  missionaries.  Our  first  post  in  Alaska  was 
at  Anvik,  and  our  first  missionary  went  to  live  among 
the  Indians.  Ever  since  that  time  the  Church  has 
consistently  labored  to  serve,  on  equal  terms,  the 
native  Indian  and  the  immigrant  white  man.  The 
mission  now  includes  twelve  active  stations  among 
the  Indians,  with  many  other  points  where  services 
are  held  by  one  or  another  of  the  missionaries.  And 
to  these  central  places  the  people  come  from  all  the 
surrounding  country.  There  are  four  hospitals  for 
Indians,  two  boarding  schools  and  a number  of  day 
schools.  At  present  most  of  the  medical  work  is 
done  by  nurses,  there  being  but  one  missionary  phy- 
sician; at  Fort  Yukon  we  have  our  only  hospital 
north  of  the  Arctic  Circle.  It  is  impossible  to  give 
the  number  of  adherents  and  baptized  persons  among 
a people  so  scattered  and  remote,  but  the  communi- 
cants are  reported  as  numbering  1,000. 


10 


DULUTH  The  Diocese  of  Duluth  in  northern  ^lin- 

nesota  has  on  its  Ojibway  reservation  a 

long-settled  and  efficient  work  under  the  general  care 
of  a white  archdeacon,  assisted  by  8 native  clergy 
and  2 women  workers.  There  are  14  stations,  about 
500  communicants  and  1200  baptized  persons.  Here 
we  find  the  results  of  Bishop  Whipple’s  early  work  in 
Minnesota  on  the  White  Earth  reservation.  Under 
the  shadow  of  St.  Columba’s  Church  rests  the  body 
of  John  Johnson  Enmegahbowh,  the  first  Indian  priest 
of  our  Church,  who 
for  more  than  forty 
years  set  an  exam- 
ple of  faithful  and 
consistent  service 
for  God  and  his 
people.  About  this 
mi.ssion  gather  the 
memories  of  Peake 
and  Hinman,  Gil- 
fillan,  Appleby  and 
others  who  in  the 
past  have  helped 
to  work  out  the 
Indian  problem  for 
the  Church.  Be- 
fore long  the  reser- 
vations will  be  ob- 
literated; the  for- 
mer conditions  will 
have  passed  away, 
and  the  Indians  have  ceased  to  be  a separate  people; 
but  the  fruitage  of  the  past  will  remain  in  some  lives 
at  least,  proving  that  the  Church  has  done  well  in 
carrying  Christ’s  message  to  the  red  man  of  the  forest. 

OTHER  FIELDS  Limitations  of  space  forbid  fur- 
ther  elaboration.  We  might  visit 
the  Shoshones  and  Arapahoes  in  Wyoming,  the  home 
of  old  Chief  Washakie,  and  the  scene  of  the  devoted 
labors  of  the  Rev.  John  Roberts.  Here  we  should  find 
Bishop  Thomas  working  out  a thorough  educational 


11 


12 


ST.  ELIZABETH’S  CHURCH  AXD  HOSPITAL, 
WHITE  ROCKS.  UTAH 


plan,  supported  by  the  gifts  of  the  Church.  ^Ye  might 
go  to  Sacramento,  where  work  is  being  carried  on 
among  the  neglected  Karoks,who  are  hearing  the  story 
of  Christ,  and  are  responding  eagerly. 

We  might  go  to  Southern  Florida,  where,  among 
the  Seminoles  of  the  Everglades,  the  Rev.  Dr.  W.  J. 
Godden,  after  years  of  lonely  work,  laid  down  his 
life,  leaving  at  least  the  beginnings  of  a Christian 
mission  for  one  who  shall  come  after  him. 

We  might  visit  the  Hospital  of  the  Good  Samaritan 
in  Arizona  — our  only  work  among  8,000  Navajos, 
but  so  wise  and  thorough  a C'hristian  enterprise  that 
it  has  attracted  the  favorable  comment  of  the  highest 
government  officials.  We  might  go  to  North  Dakota, 
Idaho,  Oklahoma  and  Utah,  and  we  should  also  find 
faithful  and  interesting  work  being  done.  The  facts 
concerning  all  this  are  summarized  elsewhere.* 

Indian  tribes  are  located  in  twenty-seven  states  of 
the  Union.  We  have  mission  work  in  only  twelve  of 
these.  The  most  recent  figures  show  330,000  Indians 
in  the  United  States.  We  reach  not  more  than  50,000, 
and  out  of  the  total  there  is  another  50,000  who  are 
under  no  Christian  influence  whatever.  This  is  the  sit- 
uation which  presents  its  appeal  to  faithful  Christians. 

*On  page  16  appears  a list  of  our  missions  among  Indians  and  a statement 
of  the  work  carried  on  among  them. 


1.1 


u 


A STATEMENT  OF  THE 
QUESTION 

o 

1.  This  is  not  a question  which  leill  settle  itself  by 
inaction.  The  Indians  are  not  a dying  race.  Some 
authorities  claim  that  there  are  as  many  in  the  United 
States  today  as  when  America  was  discovered.  It  is 
certainly  true  that  although  some  tribes  are  decreas- 
ing, others  are  multiplying.  The  ancient  drain  caused 
by  intertribal  wars  has  ceased,  and  to  some  extent  at 
least,  the  white  man’s  lessons  of  hygiene  and  sanita- 
tion have  had  their  effect. 

2.  This  is  a critical  period  in  the  problem.  The 
United  States  has  adopted  the  policy  of  assigning 
land  in  severalty.  This  means  the  eventual  break-up 
of  the  reservations  and  the  amalgamation  of  the  In- 
dian with  the  mass  of  the  population.  The  Indian’s 
greatest  danger  will  come  within  the  next  few  years, 
when  he  has  to  meet  the  white  man  on  his  own 
ground.  lie  must  be  prepared  for  this  trial  if  he  is 
to  survive. 

3.  We  have  reached  the  third  j)eriod  of  the  Indian 
problem,  and  are  facing  the  fourth.  The  first  was 
(a)  the  period  of  conflict,  when  the  Indian  still  be- 
lieved he  had  a chance  to  win  back  or  to  defend  his 
own;  the  second  was  (6)  the  period  of  concpiest,  when 
we  herded  them  upon  reservations  and  surrounded 
them  with  soldiers;  the  third  (c),  the  present  period, 
is  that  of  co-operation,  for  the  Indian’s  problem  is 
his  problem,  and  he  must  work  it  out,  but  he  can- 
not do  it  without  our  aid;  the  fourth  neriod  (d)  is 
that  of  amalgamation. 


15 


MISSION  WORK  AMONG  THE  INDIANS 

ALASKA — Thirty  thousand  Indians  scattered  along  the  coast  and  in  the 
interior.  Work  began  with  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Parker  and  Chapman  in 
1886-87.  Now  12  stations  with  about  1,000  communicants. 

ARIZONA — The  Indian  Hospital  of  the  Good  Shepherd  at  Fort  Defiance, 
established  1895,  cares  for  the  Navajos. 

DULUTH — Under  the  archdeacon,  assisted  by  five  native  priests,  two  native 
deacons,  and  two  women.  Fourteen  different  points  reached.  About 
500  communicants,  and  1,200  baptized.  (Ojibways). 

FOND  DU  LAC — Near  Green  Bay  are  about  2,500  Oneidas,  of  whom  nearly 
650  are  communicants.  They  have  a church,  erected  by  themselves, 
and  a hospital  near  it.  Two  resident  priests,  two  sisters,  and  a teacher. 

IDAHO — Among  Shoshones,  Bannocks,  and  Arapahoes  on  Fort  Hall  Reser- 
vation. About  100  communicants, 

MINNESOTA — -Sioux  Mission  at  Birch  Coulee,  under  an  Indian  priest. 
Regular  services  also  held  at  Prairie  Island, 

NEBRASKA — Work  on  the  Winnebago  Reserv'ation,  w’here  the  Church 
ministers  to  100  Indians.  Appropriation  is  made  for  a resident  priest. 

NEVADA — Work  was  begun  25  years  ago  upon  the  Pyramid  Lake  Reser\’a- 
tion,  containing  one-third  of  the  Reservation  Indians  of  the  state.  There 
is  a church  and  school.  The  communicants  number  100. 

NEW  MEXICO — Work  begun  in  1917  among  30,000  Navajos.  Mission 
House  includes  two  hospital  wards  and  dispensary.  Three  women 
workers. 

NORTH  D.4KOTA — Seven  thousand  Indians  on  four  reservations — Standing 
Rock,  Fort  Berthold,  Turtle  Mountain  and  Fort  Totten.  The  Church 
has  encouraging  work  on  each. 

OKLAHOMA — Mission  at  Whirlwind,  with  about  100  communicants.  Ser- 
vices also  held  at  the  Indian  schools  at  Chilo'cco  and  Cheyenne. 

SOUTH  DAKOTA — Our  largest  Indian  mission — 97  stations,  ministering  to 
25,000  Sioux,  of  whom  5,000  are  communicants  and  12,000  baptized 
members  of  the  Church.  Gifts  to  the  Church  for  the  support  of  their 
own  work,  $10,000  per  annum.  Two  large  schools  for  Indian  children — 
Saint  Mary’s  and  Saint  Elizabeth’s.  The  majority  of  the  clergy  are 
Indians. 

SACRAMENTO — The  Karok  Indians  in  the  northern  mountains  are  being 
evangelized.  The  work  was  begun  in  1912.  There  have  been  about 
200  baptisms. 

SOUTHERN  FLORIDA  — Work  was  carried  on  for  a number  of  years  among 
the  Seminoles  in  the  Everglades.  Since  the  death  of  the  missionary  no 
one  has  taken  his  place. 

UTAH — Work  among  the  Utes  at  Randlett,  Whiterocks  and  Fort  Duchesne. 

W’YOMING — At  Wind  River  Saint  Michael’s  Mission  is  developing  indus- 
trial and  agricultural  work  among  the  Arapahoes.  There  is  also  a large 
school  here  for  the  Shoshones. 

Interesting  illustrated  articles  on  all  the  mission  fields  of  the  Episco- 
pal Church  will  be  found  in  The  Spirit  of  Missions.  Published 
monthly.  281  Fourth  Avenue.  New  York.  $1.00  a year, 


Copies  of  this  leaflet  may  he  obtained  from  the  Literature  Department,  Church 
Missions  House,  281  Fourth  Avenue,  New  York,  by  asking  for  No.  600. 


8 Ed.  5*20,  loM.  KI.  PI. 


